Apparatus for treating ores.



A. J. GARVER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8. I9I4. RENEWED MAR. 13,1917- 1,248,505. I Patented Oct. 16,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES.-

ATTORNEYS A. J. GARVER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING ORES. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8,19I4. RENEWED MAR, 13.1917.

1,43,505, Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

- ATTORNEYS A. J. GARVER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED 0Ec.8. I914- RENEWED MAR. 13.1917.

1,2%3,505, Patented 0ct.16,1917.

. 5g 3SHEETSSHEET 3.

R 1, a Q "Q Q Q n I V l R m 1 L j i 1: I v Q i v i 5%! 1 Q I X I Q Q Q s I R R ATTORNEYS 7 To all whom it may concern:

arreaa'rus ron 'rnna'rrnc cans.

Specification of Letters Batent.

Application filed December 8, 1914, Serial No. 876,061. Renewed March 13, 1917. Serial No. 154,598.

Be it known that I ALLEN J. GARvnR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Clarkston, in the county of Asotin and State of. Washington, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Treating Ores, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, convenient, eflicient and inexpensive plant for carrying out the roasting of ores whereby the general eflioiency of the apparatus used in the plant for handling ores is greatly increased. A further object of the invention is to utilize the fumesarising from the roasted'ores by directing the fumes into the ore tank and there converting them into acid, which reacts with the ores, thus dispensing with the use of independent acid chambers.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed. In

the accompanying drawings, forming part of the application, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, a1 1d Figure 1 isan elevation, partly in section, of my gravity plant; 1

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section through the rotary roaster;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; V

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the ore tank; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5-5, Fig. i.

Before proceeding to a more detailed description of my invention it must be clearly understood that although the plant illustrated and described herein makes use of pebbles, the process can be carried out without the use of same.

Referring to the drawings, 6 is a gravel box dominating the plant'and disposed adjacent a conveyer 7 which is adapted to deliver pebbles into the box. The box 6 is provided with a delivery hopper 18 controlled by a gate 19 through which pebbles may be discharged into an inclined chute 8, through which chute the ores are fed.

The bottom 20 of the chute is a raceway formed of a number of stepsslightly overlapping each other and causing the ore and pebbles fed thereon to drift to the outlet Patented Get. 16, 1917. v

r rare orrron of the chute. The bottom of the chute forms the top of a passage 21 which is in communication with a furnace 9 from where it confunnel 22 connects the outlet of the chute 8 with a rotary roaster 10 intended to receive the ores from the chute 8. The chute 8 is connected to a tank 8 adapted to contain a basic or acid solution which can be fed from the tank into the funnel 22. .Said funnel is connected to a stationary cup-shaped head 23 rigid on a support 24. i

Within the head 23 (see Fig. 2) is a baflie'plate 25 for direoting the ores into the rotary roaster lO'which roaster is formed of a cylindrical shell 26 having at one end an annular flange 27 fitting snugly around and in axis with the head 23. An annular partition 28 is mounted within the cylindrical shell 26 adjacent the head 23 through which the bafile enters the shell 26; The other axially-opened end 37 engages snugly a box 38.

The shell is provided with circular bearing rings 34: which rest hpon rollers 35, the latter being revolubly supported on pedestals 36. The shell is also provided with a normally closed by tension members 43' connected with a bar 42 engaging the trap. This arrangementpermits the operation of the trap at the will of the operator. Said box 38 is provided with a delivery pipe 45 leading toa revoluble or'e tank 11, locked at one end, and below the rotary roaster 10.

The shell 26 is provided with a lining formed of bricks 46 and 48, the bricks 48 being directed radially and dominatin the bricks 46 between which they are locate In the joints between the bricks clay rods 47 are provided obliterating the joints between the successive bricks. Each brick 48 is provided with a triangular channel or recess 50 terminating in a notch 51 at the apex nearest the box 38. The arrangement of the bricks 48 is such that the ores resting loosely in the recesses 50 will drift and escape through the notch 51; see top of Fig. 2.

The ore tank 11 is preferably in the shape 'of a cylinder having a circular rack 52 adthem together.

j acent one end in mesh with a pinion 54, the pinion being carried by a revoluble shaft 56 properly supported by a bearing 55. With- A disk 62 located at the ends of the staves and troughs and in engagement therewith forms the discharge end or the ore tank. A spider 63 forming an integral part of the head 62 bears on a member 65 which carries a tubular member 64 projecting through the head 62. A chute 67 is provided within the ore tank adjacent the head 62 which has an outlet 68 through the tubular member 64, not merging with the passage 66 of the tubular member. The bearing carryingthetubular member 64 and the chute 67 is supported by a pedestal 69. v

A head 71 similar to the disk 62 is provided between the staves adjacent the partition 57, the dominating parts of the troughv 58 being located between the partition 57 and the disk 62. A spider 72 rigid with the head 71 bears on a member or gudgeon 75 projecting through the head 71 andcarried by a pedestal 74. The gudgeon 75 and the tubular member 64 have additional supports 76 which help to support the ore tank 11.

The delivery pipe 45 projects through the gudgeon 75 into the ore tank 10 to deliver the goods through the opening of the annular partition 57. The part of the delivery pipe 45 located in the gudgeon 75 receives an ejector pipe 77, (see Fig. 4) which leads to the outlet of a pump 7 9 the inlet of which is connected to a tank 80 mounted onpedestals 81. The tank is adapted to contain proper solutions for the purpose of treating the ores after the latter have been roasted. In place of connecting the projector pipe 77 with the pump, the same can be connected to a steam supply. The jet of steam in such a case will suck the fumes and dust from the roaster into the ore tank. In place of providing an ejector 77 for causing the suction in the pipe 45, a partial vacuum may beoperated in the pipe 45 by any other suitable means. The use of the above means will prevent the clogging of the delivery pipe, and in using steam heat will be added to the mass of ore in the tank and, consequently, the conversion of the ore facilitated.

' The tubular member 64 is connected to a' low it to slide in successive streams.

i aliases condenser 13 by a tube 83, the latter being in turn connected to atube 84 arranged for producing an aspirating effect in the tube 83. The tube 84 leads to a tank 85 for holding a liquid or compressible fluid to cause the aspirating efi'ect. The condenser 13 comprises a tank 86 mounted on supports 87 and containing asuitable liquid which serves to receive and dissolve the residual substance resulting from the condensation of the fumes, gases and vapors.

The ore fed gravitationally upon the steps of the bottom 20 of the chute 21 is mingled with pebbles from the box 6 which pass through the gate 19 and hopper 18. a The pebbles accompanying the ore serve to. keep the bottom 20 clean and also to keep both C the rotary roaster and the ore tank in good condition by preventing the material from clogging therein.- The products of combus tion of the furnace 9 passing through the passage 21 heat the ores passing in the opposite direction over the steps of the bottom 20, causing the ores to be roasted. The receptacle 8 may contain nitrate of soda or sulfuric acid in accordance with the character of the ores to be treated. It sulfuric acid is employed in its reaction with the ores, it forms sulfates and also other various complex compounds containing sulfur. ,The

ore particles. The momentum and smoothness of the pebbles enable them to gravitate with greater facility than the ore would do and, consequently, carry the ore with them. The use or pebbles renders the feed of the ore more uniform and homogeneous. As the shell 26 of the roaster 10 is rotated, the various bricks 48 scoop up all of the loose materialinto their triangular recesses and lift the material nearly to the top, then al- Due to the shape of the recesses 50 the ore is caused to progress step by step as the rotation of the roaster continues; this result being attained, as can be easily seen, by the triangular shape of the recesses 50.

The rotary raster may be subjected to heat applied externally if desired, but when sulfuric acid is used it is not necessary, the ore being sufliciently heated in the roaster due to the chemical reaction and the initial heat received by the ore previous to its entrance into the roaster. During the passage of the ore through the rotary roaster 10 the same is subjected to the action of the liquid supply from the receptacle 8; conse quently, the original chemical composition of the ore is changed to some extent, various salts being broken up and others formed.

The material thus treated passesover the end 37 of; the roaster and drops into the head 40 from where a delivery pipe oleads it into the revolving ore tank 11. Y

The ejector pipe 77, Whether connected to a pump or to a jet of steam, causes the fumes and dust in the roaster to flow into the ore tank, to which it may be said the same is aspirated, thus preventing the clogging of the delivery pipe 45. In the ore tank the troughs 48 provided with their recesses 61 carry the mass of material, similar to what has been described for the roaster 10. The ore so far treated in the ore tank is then delivered to the chute 67 from where .it is conducted to a sieve 14:, the fine ore passing through the sieve and the pebbles being guided to the conveyer 7 which re- 35. vention pertains; and while I have dewith the plant and method of operating the" turns the pebbles to the box 6. The ejector pipe 77 supplying steam or a liquid, to the ore tank 11 adds heattosaid tank and, further, helps the chemical reaction between the fumes carried fromthe roaster and the ore" present in the tank, and also With the substance supplied by the ejector. Gases and vapors present in the ore tank 11 areaspired into the condenser 13 due to the suction caused by the provision of the ejector 84. The result of the condensation may be considered as a by-product.

-From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantage of the'construction of the plant "shown will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the inscribed the principle of operation, together same which I-now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood thatthe method and plant shown are merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as. are within the scope of'the appended claims. y Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

L In a gravity'plant for treating: ore, a chute adapted to receive ore to be treated afurnace the products ofcombustion of which are adapted to contact with the chute, whereby the ore is progressively heated, .a tank associated with the chute whereby a chemical compound may be added to the ore passing through the chute, a rotary roaster adapted to receive the ore mixed with the chemical compound, said roaster compris inga plurality of triangular recesses causing the mixture to move step by step toward the outlet and fall intermittently during its movement toward the outlet, a r'o-, tary ore tank adapted to. receive the ore from the rotary roaster, an ejector adapted to force the contents of the rotary roaster into the rotary tank, said rotary troaster having similar triangular recesses on its inner lateral surface whereby the contents thereof are caused to move progressively toward the delivery end and fall intermittently during the movement, a condenser associated "with said rotary ore tank, and means for forcing the gaseous and vaporous substances from the rotary tank into the condenser.

2. In a gravity plant for the treatment of ore, a chute adapted to receive comminuted ore, a furnace associated therewith the product of combustion of which furnace is adapted to heat said chute, the ore fed through the chute moving in a direction opposite to the product of combustion coming from the furnace, means associated with i the chute for adding to the ore passing through the chute a compound adapted to react chemically with the ore, a rotating closed chamber adapted to receive ore com ing from the chute, said closed chamber having means on the inner lateral surface to cause the ore to fall intermittently while the same is passing through said chamber,

-a second similar chamber adapted to receive'the mixture fromthe first chamber, an ejector associated with said second chamber for facilitating the transit of the ore mixture from the first into the second chamber, said ejector adapted to sup ly heat to said second chamber, and a con enser associatedwith said second chamber for eliminating therefrom the gaseous and'vaporous substances resulting from the treatment of the ore.

3. In a gravity plant for the treatment of ore, a revoluble closed chamber, and longitudinal members at the inner lateral surface thereof, said longitudinal members having a series of triangular-shaped recesses each having a notch at the apex nearest to the delivery end of th chamber.

4. In a gravity plant for the treatment of ore, a pair of revoluble closed chambers each having longitudinal scooping members rotary shell having a cylindrical form, a

lining for said shell, said lining being of bricks provided with grooves, a filling within said grooves, and other bricks connected with said first-mentioned bricks and provided with com 'artments 'for raising and spilling ores an the like.

6. in a revolving ore roaster the combi-' nation of a cylindrical member adapted to revolve, bricks mounted therein and having' curvature, said bricks being so disposed as to form a lining for said cylindrical member, other bricks provided with compartments and secured intermediate said first-mentioned bricks and projecting retdially toward the center of said cylindrical member, said 1ast-mentioned bricks each being provided with a' substentieilytriengw messes lair compartment endwith a notch merging into said compartment for discharging the contents thereof. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence 0? two subscribing witnesses.

ALLEN J. GARVER.

Witnesses BURT C. i-Linsniz /Vmiis E. HOWARD. 

